With the Pine Crane Pills in hand, these rogue cultivator emperors were all beaming with delight, unable to put them down.
"Young Master Jiang Chen, no question about it — I, Emperor Huoyan, am absolutely your friend," Emperor Huoyan declared, his spirits soaring now that he held the Pine Crane Pill.
Emperor Ruoyi giggled and said, "Young Master Jiang Chen, sometimes I really am tempted to think that Brother Wushuang's choice was the wisest one. Following Young Master Jiang Chen is where the real opportunities lie. I've been hearing lately that Brother Wushuang's strength has broken through again in the Myriad Phenomena Region? He's already surpassed the High-tier Emperor level and stepped into the ranks of Top-tier Emperors. He's only one step away from the Pinnacle Emperor tier now."
Everyone sighed with admiration.
The Emperor realm was different from all other cultivation levels.
There were only six tiers within the Emperor realm.
Half-step Emperor, Low-tier Emperor, Mid-tier Emperor, High-tier Emperor, Top-tier Emperor, and Pinnacle Emperor.
Emperor Wushuang had previously been at the very peak of the High-tier Emperor level, just one step away from breaking into the Top-tier Emperor rank.
And that single step was precisely what kept Emperor Wushuang ranked only fourth among the Six Giants of the rogue cultivator world, roughly on par with Emperor Huoyan and Emperor Ruoyi.
But now, having broken through that barrier and entered the ranks of Top-tier Emperors, things were entirely different.
Among the Six Giants of the rogue cultivator world, the top three were all Top-tier Emperors — Emperor Jingzhong, Emperor Mozhe, and Emperor Ziyou.
Emperor Ziyou had also been persuaded by Emperor Danji to participate in the ambush against Jiang Chen.
However, once Emperor Ziyou had entered that palace grotto, he had become considerably more subdued. He remained in the rear of Emperor Danji's faction and didn't make many moves. By the time Emperor Danji's group departed, Emperor Ziyou had not shown any further sharpness.
Still, Jiang Chen knew full well that Emperor Ziyou's strength was absolutely not to be underestimated.
Being recognized as the foremost among the Six Giants of the rogue cultivator world — Emperor Ziyou's abilities were something Jiang Chen had witnessed firsthand. Even if he couldn't quite match Emperor Danji, he was only a hair's breadth behind.
Now, upon hearing that Brother Wushuang had achieved a breakthrough in his martial cultivation, Jiang Chen was genuinely happy for him.
But he also knew that Mo Wushuang's martial ambitions could no longer be limited to breakthroughs within the Emperor realm alone.
With his Heavenly Kun bloodline, his higher aspirations should reach beyond the Emperor realm entirely.
Emperor Jingzhong laughed and said, "Fellow Daoist Wushuang has taken another step forward even further. It seems the ranking of our Six Giants will become even more complicated going forward. Perhaps next time I spar with Brother Wushuang, I'll find it hard to gain the upper hand. Come to think of it, we Six Giants haven't sparred among ourselves for quite some time. Last time I very much wanted to have a bout with that Emperor Ziyou, but regrettably, under those circumstances… it was hardly the right moment for a friendly spar."
Jiang Chen smiled. "Your Excellency Emperor Jingzhong, your strength is formidable. Even though Emperor Ziyou is powerful, he's likely only on equal footing with you at best."
Emperor Jingzhong sighed. "It's hard to say. Emperor Ziyou cultivates ocular techniques — his methods are domineering and fierce. My martial path is comparatively gentle. If we truly clashed, the odds would tilt more in his favor."
"That's not necessarily so," Jiang Chen shook his head. "The style of one's martial path isn't the deciding factor. In the world of martial cultivation, the soft overcoming the hard is a common sight."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
After everything they had been through, these rogue cultivator emperors had developed a genuine sense of trust in Jiang Chen. At the very least, he conducted himself with integrity and openness.
When they had been ambushed before, Jiang Chen had been generous enough to let them leave, rather than dragging them all into the slaughter against Pill Fire City.
This had made them admire him all the more, convinced that Young Master Jiang Chen was truly someone worth befriending.
Putting themselves in his place — having received Jiang Chen's Pine Crane Pills — the mental scales of these Emperor-realm rogue cultivators naturally tipped even further in Jiang Chen's favor, toward the Glazed Glass King City.
Emperor Jingzhong laughed and said, "Since Young Master Jiang Chen encourages me like this, I really ought to seek out Emperor Ziyou for a bout when the opportunity arises."
"Ha! That would certainly be a battle to look forward to," Jiang Chen remarked.
Emperor Jingzhong put on a serious expression and said earnestly, "Young Master Jiang Chen, I've been living quite comfortably here in the Glazed Glass King City these past days, and I have no plans to leave for the time being. I wonder — would Young Master Jiang Chen find me to be a burden here?"